The House of Angkara
by Omashu Rocks
Summary: Shen doesn't know who her parents are or where she came from, but she is certain of her destiny. For too long the people of Kisah, an oceanside metropolis consisting of people from all nations, have been abused by the ruthless Angkara family. Allying with a vigilante group of orphans known as the Iluna Rebels, Shen pledges to rid her city of its oppressors.
1. Out of the Dark and Into the Shadows

If your looking for something with the original Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra Characters, I apologize in advance. This fan-fic is 100% OC!

Note: Flashbacks will be used throughout the series and will be identified by italics. Because of this, things may seem random/rushed, but all will be explained through the flashbacks that begin in chapter 2! Each chapter will focus on a different character and their background.

* * *

Flashes of lightning lit up the night sky as thunder clapped over the island city known as Kisah. Each boom reverberated in such a way that it sounded like the heavens were letting out an evil, terrifying cackle. On the edge of the city limits laid the historic Kisah Monastery. Established one hundred years before the city was, the old wood was rotting, the gate was rusted, and most of the shutters had fallen off their windows. Inside, an Airbending monk named Ohk sat comfortably in his velvet chair, trying to read under a dim candlelight. He'd normally be fast asleep by this hour, but the roaring thunder and the rain pouring on his roof prevented him from doing so. Suddenly, he heard a banging noise that seemed like it was coming from just outside the Monastery, but he dismissed it as the wind and continued reading. Seconds later, the man could no longer hold in his curiosity, and he put down his book to investigate. He threw on his ugly, brown rain slicker, and rather than walking down the stairs, he glided as to not disturb the other monks, landing softly on the wine-stained carpet. He walked a few feet to the door and opened it slowly, unable to stop the loud creaks. Ohk peered outside, but rain made it almost impossible to see anything but an outline of the front gate. He decided not to look any further, and that's when he heard the faint cry of the baby. The monk glanced down to see a child no older than a few months wrapped in cloth and in a basket right by his feet.

Shocked, the monk ran off the monastery's property, searching frantically for whoever dropped the baby off. "Hello!" he bellowed as he rushed through the gate. "Is anybody there! Hello!" His cries were useless; not a soul could be seen.

* * *

''Fifteen Years Later''

Breakfast was served at the Kisah Monastery, but one person was absent from the dining room. It was the only female resident, a teenaged girl with light brown hair and fair skin. Her name was Shen, at least that's what Ohk called her. She sat against the fence in the back garden, tossing small knives at rotten pumpkins. Her expression was dull, and she was clearly in deep thought.

"Oh there you are!" Ohk, Shen's foster-father, marched towards her with irritated look. "What on Earth are you doing here? And why must you always attack my fruit?"

Shen's response was simple. "They were dead anyway," she said without looking up.

Ohk sighed. Every now and then Shen would slip into periods of boredom and disinterest in everything. "Why aren't you eating breakfast? Aren't you hungry? Brother Mushi cooked up some delicious crepes."

"I had some nuts. I don't want to go inside anyway. I want to stay out here where I can look at the clouds and at least pretend I'm free."

For a few moments, Ohk was trying to think of a way to respond, but it was Shen who broke the silence.

"I wanna see what happens outside these grounds, this prison."

"This isn't a prison! It's an ancient Monastery that I've fought very hard to preserve!"

Shen finally looked the monk in the eye. "The only thing you've preserved is my confinement." She shook her head. "And I'm starting to figure out what's really going on. There's something out there that you don't want me to see!"

"What? That is a ''preposterous'' claim! I've dedicated the last fifteen years of my life to make sure you were raised properly!"

"Well you failed!" Shen barked, jumping up.

"That is enough!" Ohk grasped Shen's wrist and proceeded to guide her back inside, but she broke free and ran to the other side of the garden. There she made her way behind a large blueberry bush to find the hole she dug earlier- a hole that served as her path to the other side of the fence. Once off of the property, she didn't look back, not until she was far enough that Ohk couldn't be following her. At first, Shen was overwhelmed by crowds that magically appeared in the busy streets of Kisah. The girl had never seen so many people in her lifetime. She didn't know what to do or where to go, but she soon learned that if she wasn't always moving she'd be pushed and shoved by others. Shen passed by several small markets and stands, some boasting beautiful artwork up for sale, some having a juggler with a tip bucket, and others giving off the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods.

"Extra, extra!" a boy younger than Shen shouted at the top of his lungs trying to sell newspapers. "Senator Bumeer in hospital! Extra, extra!"

Everywhere she looked, Shen became more and more confused. Finally, she determined it was best to find somewhere quiet. On the other side of a narrow alley, she found a cobblestone road. The curious girl followed it all the way to a plaza with a few people relaxing on benches and children playing around a large fountain at the center. ''Peace at last'' she thought. Unfortunately, she thought too soon, as the area quickly filled with people. They all came out of nowhere and looked like they were waiting for something. Then, as if on cue, figures could be seen down the road, and the people cleared a path and gathered at the sides of the plaza. As the figures drew closer, Shen could make them out in greater detail. In the front was a row of men in silver armor, followed by another row. After them came a carriage with red drapes pulled by a dragon moose, and the carriage was surrounded by four armored men on three sides. Shen had no idea what was going on, but the people around her began to murmur and whisper. She turned to the middle-aged woman standing beside her.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Do you know what's happening?"

The woman answered her, but kept her focus on the carriage. "Lord Zhang is supposed to issue a new decree today. That's one of his carriages over there."

''Lord Zhang?'' Shen thought. It sounded like this man was pretty important. The procession ceased their march when they reached the center of the plaza, next to an ornate fountain. Shen noticed that the armored men each wore a red badge on their chest in front of their heart. There was a picture of an eye or something on it. Now extremely confused, the lost girl turned her attention to the carriage as the drapes were pulled apart and a short, elderly man stepped out carrying a horn. He pressed it to his lips and played a short, beckoning tune that Shen did not quite understand the purpose of.

Seconds after the horn sounded, the drapes were pulled apart once more, and this time, a much more prominent looking man emerged. He had short black hair and wore an embellished outfit. With his right fist, he gripped a scroll so hard you would've thought he was in pain. In utter silence, he strode to a small wooden box that had been placed by the horn blower. He stepped atop it, the entire crowd still completely silent, and unfurled the scroll. He held the parchment up high and angled it to his face to read. At that exact moment, a pin drop could've been heard.

"By royal decree of his majesty, your ruler and my father, the great, the wise, the brave King Wang Chao, the following ordinances will be effective immediately in each district, excluding the first."

Hearing that made a few bystanders roll their eyes, but no one had the courage to speak out. Shen gathered that the first district must have usually been given special treatment.

"From now on all products made of metal must be-" the prince was cut off, and the entire crowd let out a simultaneous gasp when an arrow pierced through the scroll and into the man's chest, lodging into the silver plate he wore under his robes. Zhang looked down, shocked, and dislodged the projectile before burning to a crisp with Firebending. He did the same the ripped scroll.

Before anybody could react, a boy around the same age as Shen leapt out of a nearby shop. His hair was in a wolftail and he wore traditional Water Tribe apparel. "Emergency plan one, now!" He gave this command and immediately drew water out of the four buckets behind him and lobbed it over Zhang's guards at the box the prince stood upon. Thinking fast, Zhang jumped to the side and rolled out of the way.

"Kill the traitor!" he roared as the bystanders bolted out of the area, screaming and hollering. Shen, however, stayed and hid behind a pile of hay bales. Zhang was quickly taken by three guards back into the carriage and fled.

The boy gave another order "Don't let him get away!" Shen glanced around to see to whom he was talking and spotted two girls dashing across rooftops on the other side of the plaza. One shot a line of fire from her fist and the other shot a sharp icicle. Both missed Zhang's ride, so they continued their chase. Two armored men used Earth pillars to fling themselves onto the rooftops and join the female attackers, and soon fire, water, and rock tiles flew in every direction. Back on the ground, four guards concomitantly levitated a rock in front of them and forced it in the Waterbending boy's direction. He braced himself but was saved when a rock wall erected in front of him. Another boy, this one an Earthbender, had come to his rescue.

"These guys aren't our targets," said the Waterbender. "We have to catch up with Zhang!" The Earthbender nodded and broke up his wall to allow his ally to freeze their enemies where they stood using water from the fountain. The two prepared to take off but suddenly the Earthbender pointed at the roof where the girls had been fighting. One of them, the Firebender, had fallen off and was unconscious on the ground. The other one was nowhere to be seen.

"Amber!" cried the Waterbender, rushing to aid his friend. He shook her, and her eyes fluttered open as she moaned. "They took Sakura," she announced, half-conscious. "They took her. . . I'm sorry, Komin."

The one called Komin turned to the Earthbender. "Tenang, we have to take Amber back the hideout! Where did Hu Li go?" The only response he got was a shrug. "Come on," spoke Komin softly, "help me get her up."

Shen was frozen, still trying to process what had just taken place in front of her. Deep inside, she felt ashamed that she didn't do anything to help. Her first instinct was to return to Ohk and tell him everything she saw, but that would just result in her never being allowed out again. She had to learn what was really going on in her city before she never got another chance. Determined, she elected to follow the three benders, a task she soon learned was incredibly challenging. As the group made their way down an alley, Shen walked down the road parallel to it on the other side of a row of buildings. She noticed a large crate up against the side of a small store and used to climb up onto the roof, where she continued her quiet pursuit by crawling. She stayed on her side of the roof, afraid that the three benders would see her if she went too far to the other side, so she used the sound of their footsteps to make sure they were still walking. Eventually, the footsteps ceased and Shen heard some kind of metal object being moved and dropped on the ground. Somewhat reluctantly, she went over to the other side to check out what was happening, and made it just in time to see the a manhole cover being placed back in its proper spot. Shen's ignorance of city life prevented her from realizing that it was a sewer they had entered.

The girl panicked, afraid that she had lost the kids for good. She stumbled off of the roof and saw an elderly woman about to enter an apartment. "Excuse me!" she yelled, running up to her. "Those holes in the ground, with the metal coverings-"

"You mean manholes, dear."

"Yes, those. Where do they all lead to? I, uh, dropped something important in them."

"Well the sewers are a series of tunnels and tubes, but it all empties out into a big waste dump." She pointed down the road. "It's located all the way down there, at the end of the island."

"Thank you so much." Shen reached into her pockets. "Umm, I don't have any money."

The woman was puzzled. "That's alright dear. . . "

Shen simply gave an awkward nod and smiled before taking off. She ran, not sure of how far away her destination was. A few people gave her weird looks on the way, and she almost ran straight into a moving food cart. She was a total fish out of water when it came to the city and couldn't have been more relieved to see a concrete area with a fence around it. There was a door in the fence; it wasn't locked. Shen opened it and stepped into the facility with caution, expecting someone to try and stop her. No one did, but she heard the sound of voices echoing somewhere nearby. Walking along the concrete she noticed a severe 180 degree drop and a gap before another concrete platform. It was a giant rectangular whole of sorts. She peered down and saw her three targets exiting a big, rusty pipe.

"Lucky us," said the Firebending girl. "The waste has already been drained. I wasn't ready for another swim through filth and goop."

"You're right," agreed Komin. "At least not everything went wrong today."

The trio walked from the pipe to another wall, perpendicular to the platform Shen was standing on. The Earthbending boy named Tenang stomped twice and raised his arms with force, and a a square piece of the land they were standing on began to rise along the side of the wall. Shen froze. ''They're gonna see me!'' she fretted, but fortunately for her, none of them turned around; they merely jumped over the side of the wall. This struck Shen as unusual, and she went over to the edge of the concrete to see where they had landed. Below was a secluded beach that stretched a long ways, and the trio proceeded to stroll to the end, Shen following from above. Finally, they reached a gigantic rock jetty, and climbed on it.

"What about Hu Li?" the girl called Amber inquired. "Should we wait for him?"

Komin shook his head. "Your brother can go in the back way."

They carefully made their way across the side of the rocks to the front that was constantly being bombarded by waves from the ocean.

''No way they're gonna walk over there,'' Shen thought. Once again, she was wrong. They were hanging on to the rocks as if they were about to fall, and an enormous wave crashed on them. The water receded and they were gone. Stunned, Shen immediately went to look for the "back way" Komin mentioned. She jumped onto the jetty, looked over the other side, and waited. Within minutes, a boy with short brown hair and red shorts limped over to the rocks. Shaking with pain, he managed to climb up and reach over to a small rock that sat oddly on the jetty. In a way that Shen could not understand, he put his hand ''under'' the rock and pulled, revealing a small door and an entrance. The boy looked around and plopped himself in, shutting the door behind him. Shen smiled as she herself made her way to the door, and shortly discovered that the small rock was actually a handle. She opened the secret door and waited about thirty seconds before entering. The path was more of a slide than anything, and it was pitch black and narrow. When Shen was nearing the end, she put her arms and legs out to stop herself from falling. Then, she could hear voices.

"Hu Li, you're okay!" exclaimed Komin. "What happened?"

"The Angkara Sentries were on me as soon as I took the shot," Hu Li explained. "I thought I had my crossbow aimed perfectly, but I must have missed. I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Komin assured. "Zhang had a metal plate on under his robes to protect him. I should've predicted that that. This failure is on me."

Amber cut in. "But it's my fault that they took Sakura. I fought terribly."

Hu Li gasped. "They took Sakura?"

"Enough!" snapped Komin. "I will not allow anyone else to put themselves down. This mission was my idea, it is my failure. My sister being captured is on me."

Shen couldn't hold on any longer. She slipped and plumped right into their conversation. The four teenagers whipped their heads to the intruder, and Tenang instantly levitated a rock as Amber formed a fire whip.

"Uhh hi," she smiled. "My name's Shen."


	2. Saving Sakura

NOTE: This is the first chapter in which flashbacks will be included. They will be identified by _italics._

* * *

Before Shen had time to explain herself any further to the group she stumbled upon, a jet of water pummeled her and knocked her back into a rock wall. She tried to get up quickly, but soon realized that her wrists were bound to the wall by stone rings, her legs trapped on floor.

"Please! I just-" The intruder was once again nailed by a blast of water delivered by Komin. When she could see again, Amber had death grip and her collar and tugged it violently. "Where did you come from!" she demanded. "Why are you here!" In one palm, she ignited a small flame to intimidate the trespasser.

Shen squirmed and yelped. "My name is Shen! I saw you guys fight those men back in town and followed you here!"

"Liar!" screamed Amber. "That's impossible!"

Komin put his hand on Amber's shoulder. "Let her go. We'll see what she has to say."

Reluctantly, Amber shoved Shen down and walked away bitterly. Clearly frightened, Shen panicked. "Really, I'm not here to hurt you guys! I-I felt bad that I didn't help back in that fight, and I wanted to know where you guys lived! It was the first time I had ever seen the city and I didn't know what was going on or who any of those people were!"

Komin was dubious. "Then where do you come from if you've never been in the city."

Shen paused, knowing that her response would only lead to more suspicion. "Well I've actually lived here my whole life. But I was never allowed out of the Monastery before."

Hu Li, who had been silent the whole time, protested Shen's explanation. "There aren't any girls in the Monastery, never have been."

"I'm the only girl," Shen insisted. "My foster-father, Monk Ohk, raised me there."

"Ohk?" Hu Li was flabbergasted. "You know Brother Ohk?"

Shen nodded oddly, she just stated that Ohk raised her. Komin turned to Hu Li. "Who is this Ohk guy?"

"He's a monk at the Monastery, just like the girl says," noted Amber's brother. "Remember my friend who learned Airbending there? Ohk taught him!"

The four kids stared at Shen quizzically. "I think she's telling the truth after all," Hu Li stated.

"Just because she knows some monk guy doesn't prove anything," Amber spat, still doubtful.

"Give her a chance." The words came from Tenang, whom Shen had yet to hear speak.

"I agree with _him,_" joked Shen, failing to amuse either Komin or Amber. The Waterbender pondered the situation for a moment before summoning his three friends to a private meeting. They walked across the small rock cave to the wall opposite of Shen, where apparently there was another secret door. Now by herself, Shen had an opportunity to survey the hideout. It wasn't much, but it amazed Shen that the jetty was completely hollow, serving as the perfect base for whatever these kids were doing. In the middle was a fire pit, the cave's only source of light from what she could tell. Seeing that made Shen wonder how any air got in, but they probably had some secret vent.

The meeting didn't last very long, and the four teens soon reappeared from the hole in the wall to announce their decision. Amber didn't look too pleased, which gave Shen hope.

"First of all," started Komin, "We never officially introduced ourselves. I'm Komin, that's Amber, this is Hu Li, and that's Tenang. Us four, plus my sister, Sakura, make up the Iluna Rebels. Our number one goal is to free the people of Kisah from the Angkara Family as best we can."

"What's the Angkara Family?" Shen interrupted.

Amber scoffed. "Don't you guys see she's playing dumb?"

Ignoring Amber, Komin answered her question. "They're the ruling family that oppresses everyone in this city. They tax the people out of everything they have, work us all day and knight, and kill anyone who steps out of line. The man we attacked earlier is Zhang. He's only the prince but we have our suspicions that he's the one calling the shots. His father's name is Wang Chao and his wife is Kriyel-"

"She's the worst," Amber added.

Komin nodded his head, validating his friend's statement. "Anyway, if you really want to gain our trust, we think you should join us on our mission to save my sister."

* * *

Back in the Monastery, Ohk was growing worried. He sat awkwardly in his ripped-up, smelly leather chair. The other monks kept telling him to throw it out, but it would never leave his room. The memory he associated it with was too powerful, for it was in this chair that he was reading when he heard the knock on his door, when he became the closest he'd ever be to a father.

_"Absolutely not! How do you suppose we're going to raise a child here? Where is she going to sleep? Why don't we just ask Brother Mushi to make an extra dish each mealtime with our '''huge''' abundance of food!"_

_Ohk sighed, trying not to get flustered as his Superior scolded him. The night before, he had taken in a baby girl he found on the monastery's doorstep. "Superior, how could we call ourselves servants of peace if we put a baby back on the street? She would die!"_

_"Is she going to do better here? Huh!" The elder monk was furious. "How do you expect to get extra funding from the Angkaras? You didn't think that through, did you? Did you!"_

_"She's staying! She'll pray with us and help out around the Monastery!" _

_"Hmph!"_

Ohk snapped out of his daydream when he heard light footsteps scampering up the stairs. It could only be Shen, he thought, leaping out of his chair and rushing to the door. Swinging it open and almost breaking the hinges, he saw her.

"Where have you been? I was worried sick about you! I thought I'd never see you again!" Shen said nothing as Ohk nearly hyperventilated, unsure of what to do. Finally, he shook off his anger and embraced Shen with a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! Wh- Why are you wet?"

"It rained pretty hard. Didn't you hear it?"

"Well no, I-"

"The city's pretty boring anyway," Shen lied again. "Nothing to do."

"Then where were you all day?"

"I- uh. I wanted to walk around the entire thing, you know? I wanted to visit each district."

Ohk seemed staggered by what she had just said, be regained composure. "Ah yes, I see."

"I didn't like it. I think staying here in the Monastery is good enough for me." Shen felt bad deceiving her caretaker like this.

The monk smiled. "I'm so glad you feel that way."

Shen hugged Ohk once again and entered the room through the doorway. She proceeded to the creaky, wooden ladder leading to the attic in which she slept. Exhausted, she collapsed on her dusty, shaky bed. She lay there for a moment and thought about Ohk. If he was hiding the whole city from her, what else was he hiding?

_A younger Shen, around seven or eight years old, galumphed through the hallway, past Brother Mushi, to take hold of Ohk's hand, who looked down at her and laughed. "Did you do your reading?" the monk inquired somewhat sternly. The little girl avoided eye contact, refusing to answer his question. "Shen? Did you do your reading?" he repeated. Suddenly, there was a powerful knock at the door, and Ohk went to peer through the window before his face turned pale. "Shen, go upstairs and do your reading, right now." This command came off as much more severe, and the girl obeyed at once, oblivious to what was really going on._

* * *

That night turned out to be a full moon, and the elegant glow proved to be perfect for Shen's silent escape.

In their impressive headquarters, the Iluna Rebels sat around a fire, plotting their upcoming mission. Shen was ten minutes late joining them, and when she did show up, her entrance wasn't much more graceful than then her previous one. This performance only gave Komin another reason to regret his decision to let her tag along. "Hey guys."

For a moment, nobody responded until Hu Li gave a wave out of pity. "Hey there."

"Where's Amber."

"Didn't we tell you?" Hu Li asked rhetorically. "She works for Kriyel Angkara at night as her maid- AKA: slave."

Komin remained focused on the details or their plan rather than Amber's position. "She's how we're getting in."

Shen was excited. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Not so fast," said Hu Li. "We have to make a short stop on the way." With that, the three Iluna Rebels led their trainee out of the cave. Together, they crept stealthily back into town, and this was no easy task. Angkara Sentries were posted on just about every corner, in trios. Their march seemed almost mechanic, three left legs moving simultaneously, then three right legs. Shen predicted that the Rebels were going to sneak there way around the guards, but they had much different plans in mind. Komin gave some sort of hand signal and sprung out of hiding with a whip of water by his side. He swiftly tripped each of the Sentries just as Tenang jumped forth and made a strong movement with his arms. It all happened so fast that Shen couldn't process what was going on. It was like the ground_ flipped_ and instead of the guards lying _above_ ground, they were suddenly _underground_. She didn't have time to think anymore; Hu Li tugged her wrist and began to sprint, right behind the other two. In a matter of ten seconds, they had taken out three men and run off into the night.

In a couple of minutes, the gang ducked into a slim alley in a narrow, shady street of shacks and run-down apartments. On the other side, they reached another row of houses in not much better condition. "That's Tark's house," whispered Hu Li  
as he pointed to the building in front of them. He then proceeded to guide Shen and the others through the side gate to smelly background with grass ankle-high. There wasn't much back there- a wheelbarrow, a fireplace, a clothesline, and a few other trinkets. "See this bucket for washing clothes?" asked Hu Li. Shen nodded, noticing that it was rather large for it's purpose. The Firebending boy smiled. "Well, it's not a bucket for washing clothes." He walked over to it and reached into it before pulling out the bottom and stepping in. Slowly, he lowered himself down, and soon enough, he was gone. Amazed, Shen rushed over to see a ladder jetting down into darkness, and down she went. Below was a rather unique room, lit by candles on a long table that ran across all four walls. At the center, was a sturdy table made of logs, covered in random parts and gadgets.

"Well hello!" The loud, friendly greeting made Shen jump. "I'm Tark. Nice to meet ya!" The smiling man was wearing an odd tunic and had wild hair.

"Hi Tark," she replied, watching Komin and Tenang enter. "That's a really cool ladder you have there."

"Why thank you! Me and Hu Li build that one day. It was his idea, actually."

Komin cut to the chase. "Tark, is that new equipment you've been talking about ready?"

The man rubbed his chin. "Ah is that what you came to see me about? Well, I wasn't able to completely finish it but…" He rummaged through a closet of all sorts of contraptions before he noticed that what he was looking for was hanging right on the door. "Ah! Here it is!" He pulled a dark red robe from a hook and displayed it for the Rebels. "Not only does it reduce the impact of arrows but it's ready with just about every sharp item one could imagine. Knives, darts, sais… Grappling hook not included."

"Wow Tark," said Hu Li with enthusiasm. "You've really outdone yourself!"

"Indeed I have! Here ya go!" He gestured for the boy to accept the robe, but he simply pointed to Shen. Tark blushed. "Oh! You! Well… here ya go! So I guess you're an honorary Iluna Rebel?"

Shen didn't know how to respond, as she wasn't sure what the answer was. Komin answered for her. "We'll see." This response pleased Shen. _At least it isn't a no._

* * *

With Shen wearing her new battle uniform, the Iluna Rebels took off once again. They had to deal with six more guards on the way to the Ankaras' palace. In one instance, Tenang bended the cover off a manhole and Hu Li blasted a man into the sewers. Afraid that an attack of that level might be easier to notice, Komin told the others to pick up their pace, and when they finally arrived at the palace, he was relieved to see that no one appeared to have received an alert. Their entrance is where Amber came along. That night, she was working on stable duty, and she made sure to leave the gate wide open. Just as planned, she was there to greet them once they reached the third stable.

"I knocked the two sentries they had with me. I'll tell them they were bucked by an angry ostrich-horse and that their memory must have been damaged." She looked each Rebel in the eye, making sure they understood. When she looked at Shen it was more of a glare than anything else, but she didn't say anything.

"Good work, Sis," Hu Li noted, whipping out some kind of paint and applying it to her face. Shen was puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"This is gonna make it look like she's bruised up, as if we knocked her out. We're gonna chain her to that post, but she'll have a key if she needs to release herself. We're only doing this so that if we get caught, she isn't brought down with us. If all goes well, she'll un-chain herself and wash the paint off like nothing ever happened."

* * *

"Dasna, what are you doing here at this hour?" Ohk didn't expect to be visited at the Monastery so late at night.

He was speaking to the Mother Superior of the Kisah Abbey just a few years older than him. "I could see a candlelight in your window from the Abbey. You aren't sleeping."

"Apparently neither are you."

"Are you worried about Shen's behavior recently?"

Ohk sighed. "I assure you, I have everything under control."

"Maybe you should've sent her to school like we said."

"I know what's best for her!"

Dasna remained calm despite the monk's irritation. "She doesn't have any friends…"

"Shen doesn't need friends!" Ohk became quiet, realizing how ridiculous his argument sounded. "What she needs," he said much softer, "is my guidance."

"And how has that worked out?"

* * *

The Iluna Rebels were approaching the east side of the palace's main building, but were forced to jump in shrubbery when they heard a door creak open. Shen held her breath and watched through the bush a woman in elegant apparel muttering angrily as she exited the palace grounds. Shen was shocked; she had seen that woman before.

_"Senator, please!" Shen could hear Ohk pleading with some woman downstairs, and went to check it out, only peering out of the wall far enough to see her face."_

_"I'm trying," she retorted. "Granting extra funds to your Monastery isn't exactly something the other Senators are_ too_ keen on doing. You should at least specify why you need them."_

_"I- I can't."_

"Shen, come on," Komin commanded in a hushed tone. The girl snapped out of her memory and nodded, following the Waterbender. He led the others through a vent, in which they crawled for at least five minutes before hearing voices.

"So, did you hear about this Waterbending girl we captured during the attack on Lord Zhang?"

"No, why?"

"Oh, well it doesn't matter now. Kriyel's taken care of her. She's a goner now."

* * *

TRIVIA: Brother Mushi was inspired by Brother Cookie from the Spanish film, Marcelino Pan y Vino.


End file.
